1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement in hot gas engines including at least one combustion chamber and means for supplying a mixture of fuel and air to the combustion chamber wherein the improvement comprises the placement of a heat sink above the piston head for retaining excess heat of combustion. A fuel iris means is operatively mounted above the heat sink means and fuel flow controlling means are operatively connected to the heat sink means and the fuel iris means whereby the flow of fuel to the engine may be regulated in response to the temperature of the heat sink. In accord with the disclosure of this invention, the hot gas engine may be utilized to provide direct work energy, and may also be utilized to power an alternator whereby power from the hot gas engine may drive an alternator to generate electrical energy.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hot gas engines such as, for example, the Stirling rhomboid hot gas engine and a flash boiler-turbine, are quite well known and old in the prior art. Moreover, the function and operation of a Stirling cycle engine has long been known and understood, and many prior art patents and other publications disclose means for operating such engines during periods of intermittent fuel supply. Basically, such prior art teachings involve means for storing heat of combustion so that the engine may continue to operate on that residual heat even when the primary fuel source is interupted.
One such teaching is contained in U.S. Pat. No. 3,029,596 to Hanold. That patent teaches a heat storage arrangement used in combination with a Stirling cycle engine whereby the engine will continue to operate during periods when the source of heat (the sun's rays in this instance) is removed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,045,625 to Schroder teaches the use of a heat accumulator comprising a eutetic mixture of lithium fluoride and sodium fluoride and/or magnesium fluoride and/or potassium fluoride and/or calcium fluoride for supplying thermal energy to a hot gas engine. Nystrom, in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,892, teaches a fuel-air regulating system for such hot gas engines which is temperature controlled for supplying fuel and air to the engine dependent upon the temperature of the working gas. A similar teaching involving temperature-controlled fuel supply to the burner of a hot gas engine is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,120 to Brandenburg. Other modifications of, and uses for hot gas engines are disclosed in the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,588,530 to Ifield, issued Mar. 11, 1952 PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,860 to Hanson, issued Jan. 31, 1978 PA0 U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,741 to Michels, issued July 18, 1978
Thus, the use of Stirling cycle engines as well as other similar hot gas engines for deriving a work force is well known. It is furthermore known that residual heat within the combustion chamber may be utilized to operate the engine even when the heat source is interupted. However, if the excess heat of combustion could be more efficiently contained within the engine's cylinder containing the displacer piston, and if fuel supply could be regulated and coordinated with the temperature of the combustion chamber, significantly increased fuel efficiency could be obtained.